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Julius Interior Design

Design Life

Petina Julius is an Interior Designer based in Buckinghamshire. Her work at Julius Interior Design is inspired by her love of nature and her childhood in South Africa. She wants people to feel good in their environment at home and work.

Design inspiration

What inspires the designs you create for your clients?

Having grown up in South Africa, my love for the outdoors and natural surroundings has always been my inspiration. My passion for nature (Biophilia) has influenced my focus in creating well-designed spaces and environments that connect people with nature. I am passionate about design and enjoy the process of working with clients to thoughtfully transform their spaces into beautiful, functional, inspiring healthy places. It’s about experiencing that ‘feel good’ factor in the places we live and work.

Design & Art

How do you draw out your customers’ preferences for art/sculpture?

The display of art and sculpture in a home is a very personal exercise. What is deemed a beautiful, striking piece to one person, can be detested by another (very tricky if this happens in one household!). There are many types of art, and the choices can be overwhelming, but I find it useful to go through three main categories with my clients;

Photography – which has various styles, but broken into colour or black and white.

Hanging art – which can vary from oil painting to abstract art etc.

Sculpture – various shapes and forms made in a variety of materials from
metal to wood to glass.

Some clients have an idea of what art and sculpture they like or a piece they own that they want to be incorporated in the scheme. This lends itself to a good start as it can inform the design scheme in terms of colour, texture, style, and mood.

There may be sentimental pieces of value or a family heirloom that they would love to include in a room. It may be children’s artwork or a painting, a sculptural item they bought on holiday that they would love to showcase. This can all be creatively reworked and put together creating an exciting display of the things they love.

Photo credit: Studio Suss (www.studiosuss.com)

Some clients don’t have any
idea at the outset but are inspired as the design scheme evolves. That is ok!
It can be collected over time, and I do on occasion (budget dependant) have an
art consultant who will advise and survey the new scheme and put forward
recommendations that will suit the design.

I encourage clients who need
inspiration to visit art galleries, art exhibitions, museums and of course the
good old Internet! After all is said and done, the most important thing is to
consider how a piece makes you feel. You want to enjoy living with it for years
to come.

Design & Customer

Whereabouts in the design process do you consider including art/sculpture in your plan?

Art should be considered when
first mapping out a room. Attention has to be given to it like you do laying
out a furniture plan. Which wall areas or spaces you will dress with art and
sculpture. Consideration should also be given to the colour palette, style,
scale and proportion, appropriate lighting, background wall colour.

It may be a collection of art on a large expansive wall to create an eclectic look with impact in a pared down colour scheme, or a grouping of art above a console table to achieve a more symmetrical formal display.

Photo credit: Fine and country (www.fineandcountry.com/uk)

Perhaps sculpture to sit
alongside furniture pieces, or in an alcove with lighting to create a focal
point.

Instead of a corner unit, you
could consider a floor standing sculpture that will create a different context,
a story to tell or evoke an emotion.

Art brings a scheme to life. It is in my view, dressing up a lady in a beautiful dress and then accessorising her look to give it her own stamp of personality and soul.

Photo credit: Studio Suss

Design Advice

If you could give one bit of design advice what would it be?

When designing a scheme, avoid impulse buying or what is fashionable. Take the time to consider your personal lifestyle and be brave enough to inject your own personality by surrounding yourself with the things YOU love. This will result in spaces that make you feel good for years to come.

Petina is a qualified interior designer with a degree in Spatial Design. She has enjoyed working in the industry for over ten years on a wide range of residential projects as well as designs for the care home industry. Her skills span from project managing complete refurbishments to home staging to updating a single room. To find out more, visit Julius Interior Design.

Want to be inspired by Petina’s latest interior design projects? Connect with her online: